In 2017, this page offered good portable telescopes to anyone who’d explain why they want one. Both found grateful new owners in a less than a fortnight. Yet, amazingly, five years later, I still received weekly replies, mostly from Africa and India — heart-wrenching essays explaining how much they loved the sky but couldn’t afford a telescope.
Five years of nonstop letters. Apparently these columns are on the web forever, popping up with each new internet search. And I answered every inquiry.
Now we’re starting the process anew. A generous man in Dutchess County just gave me his virtually unused Celestron telescope because it’s underutilized and he wants it to have a good home. Maybe you’re a librarian or teacher and want it as a lending-out instrument. Or you’d like to support your preteen who’s developed a science hobby. If you love the heavens, you’re our candidate. If you’re a beginner, this could be perfect.
This is a 4 ½ inch reflector on a solid equatorial mount, complete with slow-motion controls and eyepieces. It’s a top brand and virtually unused. It’ll beautifully show lunar craters, the rings of Saturn and can provide countless joyful hours.
But don’t feel bad if you love the sky yet have no optical equipment. Few pleasures beat a simple familiarity with the constellations, or being swept away by the Milky Way and eclipses. And no telescope can improve meteor showers or the Northern Lights, not in the slightest. Indeed, I’ve watched too many people purchase telescopes and contact me to collimate the optics and give a lesson in its use, only to learn they used it once or twice and then never again.
That’s because most folks are not “hands-on” when it comes to the sky. Ours is a smartphone age, with everyone staring at screens. A telescope, like any tool, requires that one learn how to use it. There are setup steps. They’re not instant point-and-shoot devices. Not everyone has the patience.
All that said, surely there are many who love the sky and crave a decent telescope. “Decent” basically means a sturdy tripod that won’t wiggle, and quality optics at least four inches in diameter. Department store instruments and those under a couple hundred dollars are hobby-killers and never worth acquiring.
Other factors for those desiring a high-quality telescope are weight, size and portability. Many good instruments won’t easily fit into a car and lend themselves to transportation to a dark site. In that case, if the potential owner has suitable rural, unobstructed land, an observatory can be the answer, with room for massive automated mounts, specialized instruments for H-alpha solar equipment, spectroscopes for stellar analyses and the like. Such setups obviously lie far beyond the needs of most serious observers, which explains why small portable telescopes remain important. That’s what we’re offering.
In concert with two retired teachers, the three of us will read letters from those who want the instrument. It will be free, but first just tell us why you most want a telescope. And also whether you’ve already started learning the stars or are in an organization like a library that wants this for borrowers. We’re seeking people whose astronomy interest is more than a passing fad. Write to me at skymanbob@aol.com. We’ll draw lots if we’re torn between entries, and will notify the winner before the year is out.
Join the family! 
